Boxing great Teofilo Stevenson out of hospital

Olympic heavyweight champ spent 15 days in intensive care after doctors detected a clot in an artery near his heart

Three-time Olympic heavyweight boxing champion Teofilo Stevenson says he’s recovering well after spending two weeks in hospital for an arterial clot.

Stevenson said on Wednesday he was hospitalized on January 13 after doctors detected a clot in an artery near his heart. He spent 15 days in intensive care before being released last week.

The 59-year-old told The Associated Press in an interview at his  home in western Havana that he was exercising and walking on doctors’ orders, and planned to return soon to his work as vice president of the Cuban Boxing Federation.

“I’m fine now,” Stevenson said.

He was also happy to knock down reports that he was in grave condition.

“People called me from all over Cuba, from other parts of the world, even from Miami,” said Stevenson, clad in Cuban sports garb.  “Imagine, they had already killed me!”   

Stevenson is one of three boxers to win gold medals at three Olympics, earning his in 1972 in Munich, 1976 in Montreal and 1980 in Moscow. He also captured three world amateur championships.

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